Emma Johnson follows in the footsteps of Cromwell when she goes in search of a good curry
WHEN Oliver Cromwell stopped off to spend the night in a Tudor cottage in Warrington, he was fresh from defeating the Scottish Royalists.
We had no such victory to celebrate when we popped in one Bank Holiday afternoon, we were simply in search of a tasty curry.
You see, more than 350 years after a victorious Cromwell made his stop-off at the cottage, the building is now home to a fine Indian restaurant.
One of the oldest buildings in the Cheshire town, the cottage lay in a state of disrepair for many years until the current owners decided to breathe new life into it.
They had quite a job on their hands as the cottage’s Grade II listing meant that all work had to be approved by National Heritage but they have done an excellent job.
From the outside, the building is every inch the perfect Tudor cottage complete with plaque commemorating Cromwell’s visit. Inside, the bar area is similarly traditionally Tudor in design, with magnificent roof beams and oak panelling. But in the main area of the restaurant things couldn’t be more different.
The large white room is strikingly modern; dark wood chairs sit on a stripped wood floor and the walls are decorated with dashes of red and modern prints.
When we arrived, the restaurant had barely opened its doors for that evening’s service. So, while the waiters got themselves together, we were ushered into the bar area and offered menus to peruse.
Over a large glass of dry white wine for me (£3.85) and a Tiger beer for my husband (£3.10), we made our decisions as to what to order.
I have a confession to make here: I am no expert at Indian cuisine.
I didn’t eat my first curry until I was about 19 and on that particular occasion was foolish enough to believe someone when they told me that lime pickle was “really nice, a bit like marmalade”.
I like Indian food, but concern for my waistline keeps me from indulging in it too often. That, and the fact that my stomach throws a fit if I dare to eat anything too spicy, means I tend to stick to a few tried and tested dishes when we do venture out for a curry, which at least makes ordering simpler.
My husband has no such food issues, in fact he has no food issues at all, so spent his whole beer poring over the dozens and dozens of dishes on The Cottage’s menu.
By the time we were taken to our table, we were finally ready to order.
To start, I chose the lamb seek kebab, which should have been £3.95 but the restaurant had a fantastic Bank Holiday offer on of five courses for £14.95 – poppadoms, starter, main course, side order and coffee or dessert. My husband ordered the tandoori chicken (normally £4.25).
